Communication between users of a telephone system

ABSTRACT

Each user of a telecommunications system may speak and record their own name, in their own voice, and a recording of their spoken name may subsequently be accessed by or delivered to other users of the system, thereby facilitating communication between users by enabling users to better know how to pronounce the names of other users. A user may listen to the recorded spoken name of another user before placing a call to another user. When a user joins a conference call, their spoken name may be announced to other users (attendees) already in the call. A user joining a conference call may listen to the recorded spoken names of attendees in the call. A button on users&#39; phones may invoke these features.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to telecommunications, more particularly to telephone systems, such as private branch exchanges (PBXs), and to databases associated with users of the system. The invention further relates to a method of improving communication between users of a telephone system and a computer program product for executing such a method and to a system implementing the method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A telecommunications network generally includes a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Examples of telecommunications networks are: computer networks, the Internet, the telephone network, and others. Messages are generated by a sending terminal, then pass through the network of links and nodes until they arrive at the destination terminal. It is the job of the intermediate nodes to handle the messages and route them down the correct link toward their final destination. The messages consist of control (or signaling) and media parts which can be sent together or separately. The control (or signaling) part instructs the nodes where and possibly how the message should be routed through the network. The media is the actual content that the user wishes to transmit (e.g. some encoded speech, or an e-mail).

A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public. PBXs make connections among the internal telephones of a private organization—usually a business—and also connect them to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via trunk lines.

A conference call is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more than one called party listen to or participate in the call. Conference calls can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to the call; however, participants may be able to call into the conference call themselves.

In the context of a telephone exchange, such as a PBX, in a typical scenario, a person making a call (“caller”) may first look up the name of a person being called (“callee”), such as on a database associated with the telephone exchange. However, it may be difficult to ascertain the correct pronunciation of a colleague's (callee's) name, simply from reading their name. This can be a common problem in multinational companies, when communicating with colleagues from different nations using different languages and different dialects. In some cases, it is not even possible to realize the gender of a person just from seeing their name for the first time. Therefore, it may be awkward when calling a person for the first time, not even knowing how to address them (such as “Mr.” or “Ms.”), and it may take some time for the caller to understand if they are even calling the correct person.

A person answering a phone or joining in a conference call will often announce their name to others (“attendees”) already in the conference call, but it may be difficult for someone hearing the name for the first time to recognize it.

Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal language text into speech; other systems render symbolic linguistic representations like phonetic transcriptions into speech. Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous people using speech synthesis to communicate.

Text-to-speech (TTS) is commonly used for normal text in telecommunication, translation or navigation tools. In other words, the pronunciation functionality is already being used by online dictionaries in daily life for most of the words. Such tools are using computer-generated simulation of human speech which can cover the normal texts. For instance, attending a conference call one might hear the title of the conference, speech synthesized, by TTS technology. However, TTS is not well adapted to synthesizing people's names, as there is a huge variety of names and there are different accents even in one language. Even if a name is read by a TTS service, it may not provide a correct pronunciation. For example; names like Michael, Frank, etc. may be written the same but pronounced differently in English and German. Generally speaking, TTS is of only very limited utility for contact names in telecommunications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide techniques for improving communication between users of a telephone system (or exchange), such as but not limited to a PBX.

This object is achieved with a method, computer program product, a telephone and a telephone system which are described and claimed herein.

According to the invention, the method of improving communication between users of a telephone system comprising a database of users is characterized by storing recordings of users speaking their own names in the database and enabling other users to listen to the recordings of users' spoken names. Usually, this method is computer-implemented.

Generally speaking, each user of a telecommunications system may speak and record their own name, in their own voice, in a database (repository) of the system, and the recording of their name may subsequently be accessed by or delivered to other users of the system. Some examples of use scenarios may include, but are not limited to:

-   -   a user (“caller”) may be able to listen to the recorded name of         a colleague (“callee”) before initiating a call with the         intended callee, such as immediately prior to (at the beginning         of) placing the call to the colleague, so as to better know how         to pronounce the colleague's name when first greeting the         colleague on the call.     -   the recorded spoken names of users already in a conference call         may be previewed by a user who is entering the conference.     -   when a user enters a conference call, their recorded spoken name         may be announced to the other attendees of (users in) the         conference call.

In all of these scenarios, users of the phone system are able to hear other user's names, pronounced correctly, before speaking with the other user(s). As well as giving the caller some advance information about the callee, the fact that the caller pronounces the callee's name correctly (or nearly correctly) when first speaking with them may make a very good “first impression” on the callee, thereby facilitating and improving communication during the call.

In contrast with simply reading a name in a directory, or hearing a synthesized TTS version thereof, the techniques disclosed herein bring a “human factor” to bear upon the communication.

Additionally, according to the invention generally, telecommunications devices (phones) used by the users of the system may be arranged (set up) to have quick access to the spoken-name recording and playing features disclosed herein, such as a button on the phone which is dedicated (assigned) to a user recording their name into the system and/or a button on the phone dedicated to a user hearing another user's name (such as the user they are about to call).

The invention may utilize some functionality of a system typically associated with message announcements in that a user records a “greeting” message (such as “you have reached . . . I am unable . . .”) in their own voice, which is played for callers when the user is not available to answer a call. In this invention, however, the user's name is only played for other users “on demand”, and may precede the making of a call or entering into a conference, etc.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a user may be able to listen to another user's spoken name before initiating a call with the user. A user may be able to listen to the spoken names of other users in a conference call. The system may announce the spoken name of a user entering a conference call to other users already in the conference call. User's phones may be provided with functionality, such as a button which may be pressed, for users to record at least their spoken names. User's phones may be provided with functionality, such as a button which may be pressed, for users to listen to the spoken names of other users.

According to the invention, a telephone comprises at least one of: means for allowing a user to record their own spoken name in a database of users; and means for enabling a user to listen to the recorded spoken names of other users.

According to the invention, a telephone system comprises a switch having a controller and access to a database, and a plurality of phones capable of connecting to the switch, and is characterized by means for invoking one of more of the following functional features:

-   -   a user recording their spoken name, in their own voice;     -   a user listening to an intended callee's recorded spoken name,         in their own voice;     -   playing a user's recorded spoken name to other users in a         conference call; and     -   playing the recorded spoken names of attendees in a conference         call to a user joining the call.

The means for invoking these features may comprise at least one button on each of the phones.

A computer program product for executing the inventive method as outlined above may be provided. The computer program product may be a software product comprising instructions. The computer program product may be comprised by a machine readable medium wherein the machine readable medium may be a floppy disk, a CD (compact disc), a DVD (digital versatile disc), or any other suitable digital or analogue medium.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention disclosed herein may become apparent from the following description(s) thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, non-limiting examples of which may be illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures (FIGS). The figures are generally in the form of diagrams. Some elements in the figures may be exaggerated, others may be omitted, for illustrative clarity. Some figures may be in the form of diagrams. Although the invention is generally described in the context of various exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments, and individual features of various embodiments may be combined with one another. Any text (legends, notes, reference numerals and the like) appearing on the drawings are incorporated by reference herein.

Different “versions” or iterations of elements may be referenced by reference numerals having the same numbers (###) followed by a different letter suffix (such as “a”, “b”, “c”, or “A”,

“B”, “C”, or the like), in which case the similar elements may be inclusively referred to by the numeric portion (###) only of the reference numeral.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a telephone system for implementing various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary telecommunications device (phone) for use with the system shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments may be described to illustrate teachings of the invention, and should be construed as illustrative rather than limiting. It should be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. It should be understood that some individual features of various embodiments may be combined in different ways than shown, with one another.

The embodiments and aspects thereof may be described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, devices and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. Specific configurations and details may be set forth in order to provide an understanding of the invention. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without some of the specific details being presented herein. Furthermore, some well-known steps or components may be described only generally, or even omitted, for the sake of illustrative clarity.

Reference herein to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or similar formulations, may mean that a particular feature, structure, operation, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment, is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or formulations herein are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, various particular features, structures, operations, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

In the following descriptions, some specific details may be set forth in order to provide an understanding of the invention disclosed herein. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention may be practiced without these specific details. Headings (typically underlined) may be provided as an aid to the reader, and should not be construed as limiting. Any dimensions and materials or processes set forth herein should be considered to be approximate and exemplary, unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary telephone system 100 which is suited to, or can readily be adapted to, implementing various embodiments of the invention, as may be disclosed herein. The system 100 generally comprises a “switch” 102, which has a controller 104 and a database 106. As used herein, the term “switch” may refer to any computerized telephone system, such as a private branch exchange (PBX) that may typically be used by a number of users in a given business enterprise, and may be accessible via PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), or the like. A number of telecommunications (typically desktop) devices 110 which may be referred to as “phones” may be connected in the system 100, for use by users of the system. In FIG. 1, six such phones 110 a-110 f are shown, and the users associated therewith (shown as stick figures, next to the phones) may be located in different parts of the world, and speak different languages or dialects.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary telephone device (or simply “phone”) 110 which may be connected in the system 100, typically including a handset 112, a dial pad 114 (or keypad, with buttons or keys for numbers 0-9, letters, and additional characters), a display 116 (for text or images) and a number of other buttons for implementing various features such as “hold”, “redial”, scrolling through items being displayed on the display 116, etc. For example, a button 118 on the phone 110 may be dedicated to initiating a search of the database 106 for the phone number of an intended callee and, after a user enters the first few letters of the intended callee's name (such as on the alphanumeric dial pad 114), the intended callee's number may be displayed to the user on the display 116. The user may then initiate a call to the intended callee at the touch of another button (or first having scrolled through a list of partial matches, if necessary).

According to an aspect of the invention, at least one button 120 on the phone 110 may be dedicated to the spoken name recording and playing techniques disclosed herein. For example, when a user presses the button 120, they will be able to record their spoken name, in their own voice, into the database 106. Or, when the user has located (such as displayed on the display 116) the name and/or number of an intended callee, pressing the button 120 will play the intended callee's recorded (by the intended callee, in their own voice) spoken name prior to the user initiating the call with the intended callee. Or, when a user is joining a conference call, pressing the button 120 will announce the user to the conference call by playing the user's recorded (in their own voice) spoken name (and, optionally, with associated text such as “<user> is entering the conference”). Or, when a user is joining a conference call, pressing the button 120 will play for the user joining the conference the names of users already in the conference call, in their own voices (and, optionally, with associated text such as “the following people <user1>, <user2>, <user3> are in the conference”). More than one button may be used to invoke these various functions. The system 100 may provide for some or all of these functions, and may provide for additional functions relating to users hearing other users' spoken names.

A single button 120 may invoke more than one function (such as recording or playing back, announcing into a conference, hearing who is in the conference), such as by initiating the system 100 to announce various options to the user which may then be selected by the user pressing a key on the keypad 114, for example “press ‘1’ to record your name, press ‘2’ to hear the name of the user you are dialing, press ‘3’ to announce yourself in a conference, press ‘4’ to hear the names of attendees already in the conference”, and the like.

It is within the scope of the invention that the system 100 automatically invokes some of the functions described herein, or other additional features. For example, the system 100 may recognize when a given user (“caller”) is calling an intended callee for the first time (such as based on call records for user), and automatically pause (briefly) initiating the call and play the recorded name of the intended callee to the caller before making the call connection. The system 100 can automatically announce the entry of a user to other users already in a conference call. The system 100 can automatically play the names of attendees in a conference call to a user who is joining the conference call. If the users record their name directly into the switch 102, then a mechanism used in Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Music Recorder feature can be applied to the system 100 which may also be called a “pronunciation helper” (PH). Another option is that each colleague can save their names into a third party tool such as an internal employee portal working integrated with outlook records, or they can use directly their voice contacts if defined already on their network. In this case, there will be a need of a web service that will integrate these name databases to the switch 102.

When a user records their spoken name into the system, they may of course speak additional words into the system. For example, the user may utter a friendly and informative greeting such as “hello, my name is <user's name>, I am <job description> at <department or division of a company>”. In a “social network” system, additional informative, introductory text could be recorded by the users.

In the manner described herein, the button(s) 120 invoking the functionality, in combination with the controller 104 and the database 106, may be considered to constitute at least one of:

-   -   means for allowing a user to record their own spoken name in a         database of users; and     -   means for enabling a user to listen to the recorded spoken names         of other users (including listening to the name of an intended         callee, announcing one's self into a conference call, hearing         the spoken names of attendees in the conference call, etc.).

Some extensions and/or variations of the techniques described above may include, but are not limited to:

-   -   the button 120 can also be used for voice speed dial         functionality. After a user pushes the button 120 (and selects         from a list of options, if necessary), the user may speak the         name of the intended callee (destination party) into the handset         112, and the system 100 may check its database 106, match the         pronunciation of the name, and start the call. If more than one         match is found, the results may be presented to the user on the         display 116, whereupon the user may select the appropriate         destination party.     -   the database (106) may be located remotely from the system, and         accessible via a web service.

While the invention has been described in connection with “conventional” desktop phones having buttons, it is clear that the invention can also be applied to smartphones or other devices having e.g. a touch-screen with only “virtual” buttons. A further alternative is that voice commands may be used instead of using buttons or touch-screens for activating the recording and playing back of the respective names.

As an example for private automatic switching systems e.g. the Communication System HiPath 4000 in Siemens EC), there may be a new key type—which may be called “spelled name”—in the key layout of the phone which may be any phone (IP/TDM) with configurable name keys on it. When the user configures one key to this function, the pronounced name (in the same way as in the display name of the configured station) may be recorded on the phone. This record will then be written into the switch operating system with the switch programming language. Additionally, call processing is needed to save the “recorded voice” file on the switch. As this data is kept on the switch database, it will be possible to integrate with voicemail applications, unified communications desktop client and other management tools like OS desktop phone manager, etc.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of some of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art may envision other possible variations, modifications, and implementations that are also within the scope of the invention, based on the disclosure(s) set forth herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved method of communication among users of a telephone system having a database of users wherein the improvement comprises: storing recordings of users speaking their own names in the database; and enabling other users to listen to the recordings of users' spoken names.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a given user to listen to another user's spoken name before initiating a call with the user.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a given user to listen to the spoken names of other users in a conference call.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising announcing the spoken name of a user entering a conference call to other users already in the conference call.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing functionality on a telephone of at least one user which enables the user to record at least their spoken names.
 6. The method of claim 5, where the functionality is provided through use of a button on the telephone.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing functionality on a telephone of at least one user which enables the user to listen to the spoken names of other users.
 8. The method of claim 7, where the functionality is provided through use of a button on the telephone.
 9. A machine readable non-transitory medium containing a program which causes a communication device to store recordings of users speaking their own names in the database; and enables other users to listen to the recordings of users' spoken names.
 10. The machine readable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the program enables a given user to listen to another user's spoken name before initiating a call with the user.
 11. The machine readable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the program enables a given user to listen to the spoken names of other users in a conference call.
 12. The machine readable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the program causes the communication device to announce the spoken name of a user entering a conference call to other users already in the conference call.
 13. An improved telephone of the type having a microphone, a speaker the telephone connected to a database wherein the improvement comprises the database containing names of users each name having been spoken by the user having that name.
 14. The improved telephone of claim 13 also comprising means for allowing a user to record that user's own spoken name in the database containing names of users.
 15. The improved telephone of claim 13 also comprising means for enabling a user to listen to the recorded spoken names of other users.
 16. An improved telephone system of the type having a switch having a controller and access to a database and a plurality of telephones capable of connecting to the switch wherein the improvement comprises the database containing voice recordings of names of users, each name having been spoken by the user having that name.
 17. The improved telephone system of claim 16 wherein a user is able to listen to an intended callee's recorded spoken name as recorded in the database.
 18. The improved telephone system of claim 16 wherein the system plays a user's recorded spoken name to other users in a conference call.
 19. The improved telephone system of claim 18 wherein the recorded spoken name of a user is played when that user joins a conference call.
 20. The improved telephone system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the telephones contains a button which enables a user of that telephone to record that user's own spoken name in the database containing names of users.
 21. The improved telephone system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the telephones contains a button which enables a user of that telephone to listen to the recorded spoken names of other users. 